“For me personally and mentally, I like to take a break before, like, spinning it up again,” Masai Russell said after she won her first US Indoor title in 60-meter hurdles, finishing in 7.74 seconds. With so many other achievements, Russell is now prepared for the 100-meter hurdles as she makes her way to the Grand Slam Track. But it’s not only the athlete’s hard work and resilience that go behind the amazing performances; a coach’s learning also plays a vital role in making an athlete an Olympian.

As Russell puts it in a Grand Slam Track video, “It’s not always about winning, but it’s about the journey that it takes to get you to where you know you can go.” Well, this truly goes with a mentor-mentee relationship. So, let’s dive deep into the Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell’s coach, Lonnie Greene.

Meet Masai Russell’s coach, Rolando “Lonnie” Greene

Masai Russell started playing for the University of Kentucky at the age of 18, and ever since, Lonnie Greene has been her coach. Greene is a renowned track and field coach and currently, he is the head coach for both men and women at the University of Kentucky. With a coaching career spanning over two decades, Greene has built a reputation for developing top-tier sprinters and hurdlers, including star athlete Masai Russell. But when did he start his coaching career?

Well, Greene’s coaching career began in 1991 at Missouri State University as an assistant coach for both men and women. Since then, he has been coaching top athletes and helping them reach the Olympics. Greene has been to many universities, and one of them was Purdue; before that, he used to be a coach at the University of Arkansas. And not to mention, he has been a great coach.

Greene guided Arkansas and has been placed in the top 25 at the NCAA Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships in five out of six seasons. And the list goes on. A Nassau native, he completed his graduation in 1989 from Murray State University. He and his wife, former Razorback LaTayna Stewart, have a daughter, Charisse, and three sons, Cameron, Jacob, and Isaiah, and his two grandchildren as well: Tylan and Caleb. But what do his achievements look like?

Rolando “Lonnie” Greene’s career highlights and achievements

Rolando “Lonnie” Greene’s development in the field of coaching is a perfect example of passion, determination, and the reasons behind it. When did Greene’s coaching career start? Well, his coaching career began at his alma mater, Murray State. Though later moving to the University of Minnesota and Arkansas, Masai Russell’s coach got recognition in 2012.

It was the time when he was coaching at Purdue University and led the Boilermakers to national recognition and Big Ten titles. That was just the beginning of Masai Russell’s coaching career. Greene’s impact was undeniably great when he started working at the University of Kentucky in 2018. Thanks to his extraordinary leadership skills, he transformed the UK women’s track and field team and took them to a place where they always finished in the top 10 of the NCAA championship events. Amazing, right?

Fast forward to 2024, Greene returned to Purdue, this time to lead both the men’s and women’s programs, and coached Bahamian stars Devynne Charlton and Charisma Taylor at the Paris Olympics. While training the best athletes, Greene also was a coach at the national sports academy in The Bahamas, making a vow to assist the young people.

“I’ve always said, whatever I could do to help young people, young individuals in The Bahamas, if it’s within my power, I’m available,” Greene said. Let’s know how Lonnie Greene reacts to Masai Russell’s achievements and stardom.

What has coach Lonnie Greene said about Masai Russell’s rise to stardom?

Often renowned athletes find themselves at a loss; the more awards they receive, the more pressure they feel to keep improving. And that’s when a coach steps in and helps them to focus on the game rather than being mentally exhausted. But what does Masai Russell’s coach have to say about her stardom? One of the defining moments of Russell’s career was Texas relays, and reflecting on the relay, Greene once said, “She just ran to win.” Russell did set a 100 m hurdles collegiate record.

While talking about her coach, she said, “On the way down to the Texas Relays, she said, ‘My coach was talking about breaking the collegiate record just based off the times I was running in practice. He was saying, ‘7.7 correlates to 12.20s and 12.30s, so that’s what I need you to do’.” These are the nuances of training that a coach gives to the mentee to show off their worth on the track.

Another significant part was Masai Russell’s competency in creating a training environment that was a mix of competition and motivation. Greene proudly said of Russell and her top-tier training partner, Devynne Charlton, that, “They’re the perfect training duo. They push each other, hold each other accountable, and I’ve told them both they can threaten the world record.” Now, Grand Slam Track is kicking off, and Masai Russell is geared up to perform at 100 m hurdles.